German Immigration News

More and more Americans are discovering Germany as an attractive place for their retirement . The reasons are obvious: high quality...

The announcement of plans to cut approximately 570 positions at the Federal Foreign Office by 2029 raises significant questions from a legal perspective. The ministry justifies this sweeping restructuring with the aim of strengthening and increasing the effectiveness of security- and economic-driven foreign policy. However, the reality in the consular sector – particularly in the processing of visa applications – paints a completely different picture : For years, the Fe

In the context of labor migration to Germany, transparency regarding bureaucratic processes is playing an increasingly important role. For international professionals and companies that work with VISAGUARD, reliable information on processing times has become a crucial factor in planning the start of employment, residence permits, and relocation processes. This is precisely where AllAboutBerlin 's new tool comes in: " Foreigners Office Waiting Times " offers, for the

The judgment of the Berlin Administrative Court of May 14, 2025 (29 K 122/24) should have clarified the matter long ago: The simultaneous issuance of an EU Blue Card and a permanent residence permit is lawful, and the long-standing practice of the Berlin State Office for Immigration of refusing this combination was unlawful . Even then, the court made it clear that the EU Blue Card does not automatically expire when a skilled worker is granted a permanent residence pe

The case of Japanese church musician Mizuki Ikeya from Stuttgart has attracted nationwide attention – and impressively demonstrates the...

Ten years after the large-scale refugee influx, migration expert Herbert Brücker from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) draws...

Until the Residence Act came into force in 2005, German immigration law regularly referred to the term " residence permit ." This...

Some legal norms are applied less frequently in migration law than others. This applies, for example, to Article 21 TFEU . This norm is...

The Federal Employment Agency has launched a new online portal that provides skilled foreign workers with structured access to the German labor market while still in their home countries. This digital service marks another step in the Federal Government's overall digitalization strategy , which aims to facilitate the immigration of qualified workers and alleviate the existing labor shortage in key sectors (see also the discussion on the " Work and Stay Agency "). The

The integration of Ukrainian refugees into the German labor market is one of the greatest social challenges of recent years – and at the same time one of the most visible successes. According to the current IAB job survey, the proportion of employees in Germany who have fled Ukraine tripled between 2022 and the end of 2024. While only 0.2 percent of all employees came from Ukraine in 2022, by 2024 this figure had already risen to 0.6 percent – a total of around 242,000

A bumpy start for the new entry/exit system The European Entry/Exit System (EES) , which collects biometric data from all third-country nationals entering the Schengen Area, is already causing significant problems in its current testing phase . Although full and mandatory implementation is still planned, numerous airports are already using the system – with clearly noticeable consequences for travelers. Chaotic scenes at European airports Reports from Alicante, Malaga, G

The German Federal Government is further advancing the digitalization of migration administration. At the Cabinet meeting on November 5, 2025, a policy paper outlining key points for the initiative "Introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Visa Procedures and Migration Administration" was presented. Although the full document has not yet been published by either the Federal Ministry of the Interior or the Federal Foreign Office, it is already becoming clear that the

Since March 1, 2024, Germany has had a new instrument called the Recognition Partnership , which opens up new opportunities for...

Foreigners living and working in Germany are often confronted with legal issues – for example, regarding their job, traffic, or...

The number of naturalizations in North Rhine-Westphalia has increased significantly in recent years . One key reason: Around ten...

For many people with foreign nationality living and working in Germany, long-term residency prospects are of great importance. Two...

In Bremen , the federal state comprising the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven, long waiting times at government offices have long been a source of discontent among many people. The Migration Office is no exception. It has long been known for its long processing times and slow naturalization processes and has been a frequent subject of political debate.   Public voices critical of naturalization in Bremen These primarily revolve around the long processing times. Applic

With the publication of the official policy paper on the "Work and Stay" agency (WSA), the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) has initiated the next phase of skilled worker immigration . The planned agency aims to simplify labor migration procedures, consolidate key responsibilities, and better support employers in recruiting and integrating international skilled workers. However, the paper also reveals that the federal government plans a significant expa